jj big shoe

I thought it might have an adverse effect as well. That's why I was going to nab a 2nd manifold to play with. If it all goes tits up, I'll slap my original back on.

You probably have a bad coil. The sputter and groan you mentioned could be attributed to the coil getting weak which will cause the gas to only be partially ignited by the plugs. When that happens, the plugs get soaked and have a hard time firing at all. The only real way to test a coil (that I know of) would be to replace it with a known good one. You can test for spark, but you can't tell how hot the spark is. Pull the plugs and check them against this chart. It might give you a clue as to what's going on.

Hard to say actually but I was expecting more after all that work. My old roommate had a stock 95 auto and I seem to remember it having a bit more pep. Then again, he had stock rims and tires with no lift and drove it like a Corvette. I think I'm going to try porting the intake manifold as well and play with the timing a little to see what happens.

I'd find a place that does free alignment checks and get a 2nd opinoin on what's wrong. $240 for a bearing repack sounds sketchy to me.

It'll last about 7 miles less than you need it to.

I'm in Sarasota if you happen to be passin' thru sometime.

For some reason 12.5* pops into my head.

If you haven't read already, it's an interference engine which means the valves and piston use the same space in the cylinder at different times. Sounds like a couple valves smacked the pistons and are now bent and don't seal properly. Sorry to say, but if that's the case you'll have to remove the heads and replace the bent valves or swap the heads with a different set. Hopefully the pistons aren't scarred up too bad. On the up side, used heads aren't hard to come by and are relatively cheap. Plus you don't have to pull the engine for this repair. Grab a Chilton's manual. It'll have all the assembly/disassembly, torque specs, bolt loosening/tightening sequence, etc for a job like this.

The black stuff acts as a sound deadner and a heat shield. What you need to be wary about with the home carpet padding is if it will melt, especially under the gas pedal. The exhaust Y-pipe comes really close to the body right there and it can get pretty hot. You could use Fatmat, Dynamat, etc, but its pricey. I have some thick rubber mat material under mine right now. I'm still putting the truck together so I can't guarantee it'll work, but I think it'll survive the temp much better than the open cell foam padding you use in your home plus it won't collect moisture and rust the floor out.

My 87 did something similar once. Not exactly the same symptoms, but it ended up being the MAF sensor connector contacts were loose. When the engine is under load, it'll move a bit from the torque. If you haven't done it already, maybe start wiggling wires around while its idling. Good luck.

That was the idea. There's absolutely no backing on the carpet. Its like using a blanket to cover the floor pan. I used some thick rubber mat material to kind of build up and level the floor and act as a sound damper. Once I get the truck out of the garage (it's getting close now!!) I'll let you know if the rubber does the trick. It'll definately be quieter since I took care of the 3' hole under the rear seats.

He's wrong of course, but he prolly said straight six. I think the truck was also owned by two yoots.

When you say you can't access the dent, do you mean you can't even touch it or you don't have room for rubber mallets and such? I ask because there was a thread here recently about using a deflated football or other sports ball to pop out dents as long as you can stuff the deflated ball into the right area.

I replaced mine a few years ago w/ some ebay stuff. It's molded, but nothing like a factory one so you'll have to work it a bit to fit nice. It was $100 or so and held up OK. I have since pulled it out and now have marine carpet in it like you use on boats. I didn't want to pay another $100 or whatever, so for $35 I'll see how that works out.

Just roll up and cave her door in with your bumper next time. That way you'll get to chat with her for a while.

Loosen all the bolts on each accessory, then loosen the idler adjuster on each accessory until there is enough slack to get the belt off. Each belt is a different size, so be sure to match them up before installing the new ones. Oh, and get a feel for each belt's tension before you start on it so you don't adjust the new ones too tight. The power steering tensioner bolt is best accessed thru the passenger wheel well The A/C, loosen the one in the center on the idler, then the long bolt on top The alt is done from the front Good luck

If the truck didn't come with one, it won't have the internal brackets needed to mount one. Your best bet is to buy the mounting kit for $70 from 4x4parts.com and pick up the actual carrier from a salvage yard. I'd definately speak w/ the guys at 4x4parts and see how to hard it is to install the kit first, though.

They're likely made from a flexible thermoplastic like Bushwackers and would require a separate mold to be made for each flare at a cost prolly around $3,000 - $4,000 each. Then you'll have to get them manufactured at an injection molding shop. The $500 Brazilian imports may be a bit pricey, but you'd have to invest a ton of cash to make your own copy. What I was thinking of doing (when I was thinking about doing it) was using a vacuum form method instead. It's how they make signs with raised lettering. You make the mold out of MDF and since MDF is porous, the flare material will suck down and around it. As long as you're not trying to make 6" flares or a really complicated design it should work. And you need to keep the mold sides at a slight angle so it'll slip out of the form when it's done. The biggest problem is the durability of the material. There's a few different types of plastic you could use, but I never researched into it that far. Your R&D investment would be the cost of enough MDF for one flare and a sheet of plastic, about $100/sheet. Once you've got the method down, make three more molds and you're off.

Damn, they took it down. Ahh, here you go...

D from OZ is right, you'll have to devise a way to mount the harness above and behind your shoulders. If you mount it lower, you'll compress your spine in a front-end collision. You might not need a full roll cage, but you would prolly need to put at least a hoop in behind the front seats. Take a look at some of the manufacturer's mounting suggestions, though. They're might be something way trick out there that you could use. As far as seats, I'd go with a pair of suspension seats for offroad.

Take a look at the great ad for sunny tropical scuba locations. www.spiritair.com Better bring your swimcap, Jimmy!

Be careful cranking the bejeesus out of your t-bars, and not just for the aforementioned problems. I have Superlift A-arms (same design) and cranked them a little too high and it threw off my steering geometry. In a slow turn, your inside front wheel might track a much tighter circle than it's supposed to and end up doing this /-/ instead of this /-/. Before anyone comments, I realize the inside wheel is supposed to track a smaller circle and therefore will be kicked out a bit more, but not that much.

I remember seeing something about shimming in the Z31 pages, but it looked a bit more complicated than I wanted to bother with at the time. I just wanted to get the friggin' thing back together. If you did come up w/ a guide and a how-to, I'd prolly dig into the heads again.

There's always Ebay unless you need them right away. Just search this site for the proper length for your truck (longer for rear lift) then cross-reference the Rancho part # or truck model the Ebay shocks fit. As long as the length is close and the mounting ends are the right style (you can remove the bar-pin style mount and make it an eye mount) you're good. My fronts are for a Lexus LX460 and I have no idea what my rears were made for, but the length and mounting styles are correct. BTW, I pieced together four Rancho RS9000 adjustable shocks and a in-cab controller for about $120.

Damn fine job, my man! It's a daunting task the first time but now you've got skillz.